Page 50 of Guardian's Destiny

"What a strange couple," I remarked.

"He would have left her to die in their house. He didn't even stop to help her." Sloane's voice was filled with anger.

I had never thought about the Ohrur's male and female relationships. Neither had I really any other species, but I knewof a few who didn't treat their females right. Apparently, the Ohrurs were one of them.

"She doesn't seem to mind," I observed.

"She doesn't, does she?" Sloane threw a glance in their direction, shaking her head, and I had a feeling that had I been the one leaving Sloane in a burning house, I wouldn't have lived to tell the tale. Not that I ever would have. I would have rather burned myself than leave her behind. That thought should have startled me, but it didn't. I'd already accepted that I felt stronger about this female than I had about anybody else, ever.

"I'm too wired to rest, but if you want to close your eyes for a while, I'll wake you in a few, and we can take turns sitting watch."

I didn't like the idea of sleeping while she was taking watch, but I was practical enough to realize that we were a team and she was a more than capable team member. It would have been stupid to decline her offer. We would need all our wits for the next couple of days to make it off Ohrur.

"Wake me," I insisted.

"Trust me, I will."

My lips still burned from the quick kiss earlier, and I would have loved to do so again. I wanted her more than anything ever before, but it would have to wait.

SLOANE

It seemedlike I had barely fallen asleep, dreaming of a sprawling Ohrur city and Ohrurs moving about, when Vraax gently shook me awake. "It's time."

After I had sat watching for a few hours last night, I had woken him when I finally felt ready to go to sleep. Like always, it took me a couple of hours to do so, but at least I didn't think it took as long as usual. Still, I felt tired when I stretched and opened my eyes.

Moddekdum was sitting on the same bench he had fallen asleep on while Paddekah opened a liquid pouch for him, on her knees.

Anger surged through me. "I don't care how you do it at home, but this shit stops now."

"Easy, Sloane," Vraax cautioned.

I turned on him, "Don't youeasyme, buster. You'd probably love it if I did that for you."

He looked startled and I knew I was being unfair, but shit. No way was I watching this. My mother had always waited hand and foot on my father, not quite like these Ohrurs, but enough to grate on my nerves, and I would be damned, if I watched this again.

"Get up," I pulled Paddekah to her feet. She looked frightened and I felt bad for it, but I also knew that this situation wouldn't resolve by me pussy footing around Moddekdum and her. I took the liquid pouch from her hand and tossed it at Moddekdum. "You want to drink? You open it yourself."

With that, I stormed out of the… whatever this thing was, it reminded me of a high-tech, alien version of a subway train. I found myself a quiet corner, where I took care of my full bladder before the others came out.

Silently, we walked for a few miles, while I stopped here and there to admire the walls that had been meticulously carved and decorated a long time ago.

"I would never treat you like that," Vraax said at some point, and it took me a minute to realize that he was referring to my little outburst earlier.

"I know. I'm sorry." I apologized, biting my tongue to keep the words back that he would be dead before he had a chance to treat me like Moddekdum did Paddekah. But I also knew it was unfair. That I had been unfair. Vraax had given me no indication that he was a chauvinistic ass in disguise. Well, he still was a chauvinistic pig, all men were, deep down. But his chauvinism was easy to handle. He was nothing like Moddekdum—or my father.

"You don't need to apologize. The way he treats her… it's getting under my skin too."

Surprised, I looked at him. The stern set of his jaw left no doubt that he meant what he said. "Good."

"Good?" He chuckled. "You're?—"

He never told me what he was about to say because the sound of falling rock startled both of us, and we pulled our blasters in unison just as an Ohrur came crashing down a wall. Two more followed, cursing. Blasters raised, pointed at us.

"Stop!"

Our blasters pointed at them, too, as we stared at each other in a deadlock.

I wasn't sure why Vraax wasn't shooting at them, but I let him take the lead on this one, ready for anything. Something was different about these Ohrurs. They looked like the others, but… and then I realized I didn't get any of the bad vibes from them as I did from Moddekdum and had before from Possedion. They also looked stronger, fitter.

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